Various browser-based systems permit users to enter the name of a geographic location and receive a map of the location in response. In addition to showing roads and the names of the roads, such maps may also show and highlight building footprints. These systems may also permit users to search for categories of businesses in the area, and display markers on the map identifying the locations of matching businesses.
In certain geographic locations, such as urban areas, the number of markers to be displayed can be very large, due to a high density of points of interest, such as businesses. There is a need to process such information efficiently in order to enable map information to be rendered and displayed quickly, while respecting underlying hardware and software constraints associated with the technology used to display the map information.